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Strife
is one of the last of the Nephilim and a Horseman of The Apocalypse. He is the rider of the White Horse, named Mayhemhttps://i.redd.it/s5i68rfr2z631.jpg. He wields two large revolvers Mercy and Redemption as his primary weapon of choice. His secondary weapons are two curved daggers for close combat. His current whereabouts are unknown. Biography Origin Strife was born to the Nephilim race and took part in their genocidal crusade against many worlds. However, along with his siblings Death, Fury, and War, Strife grew weary of the threat their kind represents to the balance. The four left their brethren and swore loyalty to The Charred Council in exchange for unimaginable power. During the ceremony, Strife watched as Fury caused a ruckus due to her impatience. The Council made the four convene with one of their servants, The Horsemaster, who guided them in the process of taming the Phantom Horses that would become their mounts. Leaving their weapons in a pile on the ground War wagered with his siblings as to whom would tame their horse first, Strife and Fury would needle him in turn about his tendency to boast, but the Horsemaster criticized them for bickering like children. Shortly after Death's tamed Despair, the others follow suit and Strife attained his steed, Mayhem, The Horsemen's first task was to purge their kind from creation and met them on the field of battle in Eden. While the horsemen carried out their task and succeeded, Strife would feel great guilt over his actions. As time went on, Strife would question the necessity of wiping out the Nephilim, acknowledging that they were wrong to try and take Eden, while feeling like the Charred Council either made a mistake or intentionally forced the Horsemen to commit such an act as a test of loyalty. ''Darksiders The Graphic Adventure Part 1'' Traveling to the Kingdom of Man with his brethren to retrieve an out-of-control War, Strife was the one to tell his siblings that they must get Chaoseater away from him. After War impaled Death and was disarmed, Strife pointed his guns threateningly at War, commenting that "It was a good thing that Death's damn near invulnerable" and warns his younger brother that he will fatally shoot War if he didn't calm down since he lacks Death's durability.Darksiders: The Graphic Adventure ''Darksiders Genesis Immediately after the massacre of Nephilim on Eden, Strife and War were called to meet with their new masters in the Charred Council. The two of them are being sent out to foil a plot by Lucifer to bring about the downfall of Human kind. As their first lead, the two of them are being sent to Shadow's Edge to seek its ruler, the Demon Lord Samael who it's believed conspires with Lucifer. When the two do arrive in Shadow's edge they discover Blackstone keep under attack by an army of demons. War suggests the two of them use the battle as a distraction to find a weak point in the fortress and sneak in. Though they can't be sure the pair suspect the demon Moloch is behind the assault though they are soon to find out. Making their way to the outer wall of Black Stone keep the two horsemen encounter and slay the monster tearing the walls apart: The Hollow Fiend. After a short battle, the monster is killed and the proceed into Samael's keep. There Samael explains that he will answer the pair's questions after he has dealt with Moloch, in the meantime, he sends the two to meet his associate Vulgrim in the Serpent Holes along the way War discovers and makes use of a Crossblade known as the Vorpal blade. There Strife explains that while they can't trust Vulgrim they also can't kill him, lest they are trapped in the void for all eternity. Vulgrim explains that there is a particular item that Samael was supposed to seek for him as part of an arrangement they had, but he can just as easily make that arrangement with the two horsemen with the promise of Lucifer on a silver platter at the end. The duo enters The Slag a molten prison dimension and after breaking the lock on Vulgrim's treasure runs into the local guard: The Slag Demon. After a short battle with the demon, the pair claim Vulgrim's treasure and return to his base. Under Vulgrim's influence, the crystal transforms into a female demon known as Dis, a fellow merchant and associate of Vulgrim who was sent to seek a powerful item for Lucifer and punished for her failure. The Ember Core is a powerful magical artifact containing the power of a thousand suns and is currently located in a demonic forge called the inferno vault if the two of them can retrieve it before Lucifer then it will throw a wrench into his plans. The pair arrive just outside the Inferno Vault and begin fighting to make their way inside, after making their way through a maze of smelting equipment the pair run into the demon guarding the vault: a Legion Boltspitter and takes his charge the Ember Core. The duo returns to Vulgrim with the item though he claims that it's only half of a whole contraption that he requires. If they use the Core to power a Scrying Eye that will give them the ability to spy on anyone anywhere in all of creation and that includes Lucifer and his co-conspirators. Vulgrim knows of only one such item, however, located in a temple deep within Icebind Cavern and Guarded by an army of demon Magi. After lighting the ceremonial bonfires leading the way into the temple, and stealing their Void Bomb, the Magi make their displeasure known by reanimating their guard dog: a Fallen known as the Molten Hound. The fiery angel-turned-demon-turned-undead is soon killed by War and Strife alongside its masters who complete their mission to fetch the Scrying Eye. The two Horsemen arrive back at Vulgrim's store in time for Samael to arrive after an exhausting battle with Moloch. Vulgrim combines the two items the horsemen fetched for him and uses it to identify Lucifer's essence in Mammon's home in The Hoard. Samael points out that if Lucifer has allied with Mammon and the other Demon Masters then wiping them out will serve the Horsemen's mission. Reluctantly the pair travel to Mammon's realm to interrogate the demon, where they face off against several powerful demons including two Legion Boltspitters and one Legion Siegebreaker and learn what precisely Lucifer gave the demon in exchange for his loyalty: artifacts from Eden though Mammon himself eludes them. Consequentially they have nothing to show for their efforts but a demonic map and a dagger that Strife recognizes. Returning to Vulgrim the pair explains what they found to Samael and Vulgrim. According to Samael, many powerful artifacts were left behind on Eden, if Lucifer has found a way into what is supposed to be a sealed off realm then he would have access to a vast arsenal of powerful weapons. While Vulgrim examines the map the duo found Samael takes the two horsemen aside for a moment. Though he can tell the council gave the horsemen great power it is not without limits, shackled by the guilt of the past for which they will have to reach deep down inside themselves to their inner conflict and pull it out. With their buried emotions pulled to the surface, the pair are sent off to find Mammon again armed with newly unlocked Horsemen Transformations. This vault proves to be poorly defended and quickly leads to Mammon himself who tries to save himself by chucking his treasures at the horsemen. The Demon's antics provoke Strife into shooting him though it is quickly revealed to be an illusion. Cue the real Mammon swimming through his gold to dodge and attack the horsemen's strikes while unleashing his arsenal of magical weapons on the pair. Once they've beaten their opponent the pair demand to know what Lucifer is planning and when Mammon refuses to divulge anything Strife kills him. With Mammon having proven a dead end Samael provides a lead on another Demon Master, Belial the Corrupter. The path to Belial's realm is a labyrinth though Vulgrim knows of a way to navigate it. Some fool demons have posted an amulet of great power and value as a prize in an arena battle. If the two enter and win Vulgrim can use the Amulet to find the way to Belial with much greater ease. After a short bout of slaughter, the two have collected the talisman and returned to Vulgrim with it. According to Vulgrim the amulet once belonged to Belial and still bears his stench, using it he can track down the Demon Master to his realm, though where in his realm he's at is something they should ask Samael. According to Samael the realm, alongside a trio of Dreadwalker Guardians were Lucifer's gift to Belial, in exchange the demon is making a weapon it's purpose Samael does not know. War and Strife hunt the Dreadwalker's throughout Belial's realm, and learn the purpose of his weapon, the Blight Cannon is tied directly to Eden, corrupting its waters to suit the needs of Lucifer while Belial grows fat on its power. Strife and War make their way into Belial's reservoir where they destroy his weapon. Still, Samael mocks the horsemen, with the portal open all they've accomplished is easing their conscience for their actions. With Samael's mocking in the back of their minds, the two horsemen travel to Belial's home where the gluttonous demon sorcerer has grown fat on his corrupted waters. The bloated demon is defeated by War and Strife and under pain of death literally coughs up a map rune that will take them to Eden. Though disappointed that Belial isn't dead Samael and Vulgrim do open the way to the still burning Eden for the Horsemen. Eden holds many horrors for the horsemen, aside from unpleasant memories a traitorous angelic creature known as Astarte has used necromancy to raise an army of undead Nephilim and Angels and now serves Lucifer in exchange for her freedom from the tomb of the realm. The thoroughly enraged Horsemen slaughter Astarte's undead playthings and break the angel's body intent on bringing her back to the council to answer for her crimes. However, the Angelic centaur continues to taunt the two as traitors to their kind leading to War to end her hypocrisy at the end of his blade. The two horsemen decide to sever the path to Eden and consult with their demon allies towards this end. According to Vulgrim, they would need an angelic artifact of immense power to accomplish their goal, and according to Samael, they can find many such artifacts among Eden's Tombstones. Returning to Eden the duo is greeted by Abaddon who explains that Lucifer overwhelmed his forces through sheer brute force and spread Corruption among his ranks turning his men into monsters. Though the pair find what they think is a suitable artifact Abaddon asks that they stay and help him slay the monster at Eden's peak which spreads the corruption. Along the way, they discover a still living Nephilim, albeit one dies soon speaking ominously of her 'Mother.' Returning to their demon allies the Horsemen learn of some troubling news: Lucifer has already concluded his business at Eden and has given it to another. Dagon wishes to consume its waters so that he might use them to flood the World build his kingdom on the drowned ruins. The pair hunt Dagon's Storm caller who will be the one to begin the drowning, eliminating his shaman's and shattering the barrier it used to keep itself safe. Finally, the pair turn their attention on the massively powerful demon, battling through its storm they finish it, but with it's dying breath Dagon attempts to take the two horsemen with it. Exhausted after their impromptu bath, both horsemen laugh at their 'cleansing.' The foul Smelling horsemen return to Samael who directs them to the last of Lucifer's Lieutenants, none other than Moloch himself. Sadly through Lucifer's actions, the demon has become nearly invincible, therefore they will have to weaken him first. Thus the pair enter Moloch's mining camp and hunt's its foreman, a former minion of Samael in the form of a Legion Shieldbearer. Now with Moloch's reinforcements in disarray, he is no longer able to defend the source of his power, a Blood Mantle giving him impossible recovery being held inside of the armory of Samael's very own fortress Blackstone Keep. Sneaking into Blackstone through a secret passageway the pair hunt and destroy the Bloodmantle. With Moloch's invincibility gone the Horsemen hunt him down with Samael joining them watching from afar as the two horsemen defeat the demonic conqueror. So Moloch lies defeated but he has the last laugh before Samael finishes him off claiming that Lucifer's plan has already been completed. Demanding answers the Horsemen demand to know what Samael knows of Lucifer's plans. Samael explains that Lucifer's end game is The Animus, a living embodiment of greed and hatred created from the souls of the various Masters collected upon their deaths. The Animus is designed to avenge what is perceived to be humanities' role in the extinction of the Nephilim by corrupting them with the worst aspects of cosmic kind. When the horsemen arrive on Earth there is nothing they can do for the humans but cull those infected with Lucifer's Animus. Returning to the council they congratulate the horsemen for their actions, but they will tolerate no more interference with humanity. Thus Earth is cut from the realms, and a pact forged with Seven Seals locking away the angels, the demons, and the Horsemen's full power until such a time that Humanity is ready to stand with the first and second kingdoms as equals. The Graphic Adventure Part 2 After War had been reigned in, the four rode to the Dark Kingdom to deliver a message to Samael. When Fury noticed that it was too quiet and suspected it was a trap, Strife expressed his desire for some action in hoping to walk into a trap. While leaving, Strife shot one of the demon's foot as a warning for those who dare to try and attack Strife and his siblings.Darksiders: The Graphic Adventure'' The Abomination Vault Strife was present with his siblings when Death explained the Grand Abominations and he was irritated due to not being told about the Grand Abominations from the start. Death and Strife argued and stopped only when Death threatened to use Strife's tongue as raw material and the Council order. Strife later seemed eager to accompany Death on his mission to The Abomination Vault and was enraged when Death told him to stay behind with Fury and War. He argued saying that "times had changed" and Death wasn't in charge anymore. He eventually pulled his gun on Death, yet surrendered after the reaper stared him down. ''Darksiders III During Fury's battle with Lust, an illusion of Strife appeared to her along with their brothers. He told her he had dealt with the other Sins, but Fury later saw through the pale imitation of her brothers. At the end of ''Darksiders III, the human Jones was revealed to be Strife in disguise, as he, Ulthane and the Makers helped Fury and the remaining human survivors escape when Abaddon, reborn as the Destroyer, commanded his troops to kill them all.Darksiders III It's assumed that the horseman had been living amongst the Humans for some time, which can be inferred from Jones' remarks about the End War. ''Darksiders II When Death managed to restore the Cauldron and allowed the Makers to use their forge again Alya, a Maker, gave Death one of Strife's revolver, Redemption. Death noted that it's the weapon of his brother and asked how it ended up with the Makers. However, Alya could not tell him.Darksiders II'' ''Darksiders Ulthane gave Strife's other revolver Mercy to War after he went to "visit" him after taking care of The Griever. War promptly used the gun to try to threaten Ulthane into sharing information on what he knew, without success. Following the Shattering of the Seven Seals, Strife alongside Fury and Death were summoned to War's side.Darksiders'' Personality Due to being the last Horseman to be introduced, Strife's personality differs greatly depending on the canon. In the novel, Strife is stubborn, impatient, sarcastic, and rude. He also has a short temper, evidenced by his argument with Death, although his temper does not seem to be as short as that of his brother War's. He is also disagreeable with others, going so far he challenges Death's authority. According to Panoptos' claims, there is a certain friction between Strife and his brother Death as Strife "warned" Panoptos that Death is "a sarcastic bastard". This is cemented by Strife holding a gun to Death's head when the latter ordered the younger three horsemen to stay behind while he searched for the culprits behind the attempts to enter the Abomination Vault. Strife's attitude seems to exasperate Death to the point the elder horseman has complained to the Charred Council several times about his attitude and behavior. Death states that he is faithful to the Charred Council, despite his attitude, but not entirely loyal either.Darksiders: The Abomination Vault In the comics, Strife calmly hopes he and his siblings will walk into a trap in order to have reason to fight, suggesting that he enjoys combat. He holds people to their responsibilities, once telling War, who boasted he "single-handedly brought the Legions of Anubis to their knees", that it was his duty to, as War was the one who riled them up to begin with. Strife does not waste time when it comes to business and will make examples of people to teach a lesson to others. This is evidenced by how he silenced the demonic hordes who taunted the horsemen as they departed after having delivered a message to Samael by shooting off the foot of one of the demons who yelled "Kill the Riders!" as a warning to Samael's forces not to stop them from leaving. Another time, when the other Horsemen were sent to wrangle a defiant War, Strife then stepped in after War attacked Fury and impaled Death, who then chopped off War's arm, stopping things from escalating to a full-out battle. According to his sister Fury's claims to the Council when they stated that the matter of the Seven Deadly Sins needs delicate attention, Strife is the "delicate one" among the Horsemen, though she seems to rather sarcastic upon making that remark. When masquerading as a human named Jones, Strife provided insight for Fury on how humans feel during their time in the Apocalypse: How they feel incapable of fighting both Heaven and Hell efficiently, getting dragged into a conflict they wanted no part of and are now being forced to hide for survival. In this time, Strife may be the only member of the Horsemen who truly knew humanity and understood how they felt, showing a great capability to empathize with them. As a result, Strife manages to discreetly convince his sister to change her view of mankind and find renewed purpose in being their protector before exacting justice. Due to this, Strife possesses genuine respect for humanity and their role in the universe, seemingly seeking to aid them in his own free will. In Darksiders Genesis, which shows Strife in his early days as a Horseman, Strife demonstrates an easy-going, wise-cracking, and almost child-like personality. He shown to enjoy making jokes or boasting in battle, often making light of dire situations, though he is still dedicated and decisive to the mission at hand. He is prone to collecting souvenirs and items from battles, such as when he and War confronted Mammon, he was briefly distracted by a gold rocking horse figurine that the demon chucked at him. Strife is also one of the few characters in the franchise to swear. He also enjoys agitating demons on a whim, such as when he tells Samael that his previous foreman called him a 'Piss-ant'. Despite his laid-back demeanor, Strife can be serious when needed and often makes thoughtful remarks, like questioning the wisdom of leaving all of Mammon's gold behind since Samael would likely use it to raise an army. However, Strife has a very short temper and is prone to shooting impulsively rather than thinking things through. His devil-may-care attitude leads him to look into vague trails and unreliable information, due to having full confidence he can simply fight his way out of dangerous predicaments. Strife constantly looks out for his self-interest, even while serving The Charred Council. While shown to have a close relationship with War, Strife's insistence on self-perseverance and personal gain, against War's sense of duty to the balance and faith in the Charred council, keeps the two at odds. The most pressing issue of conflict between the two was the extermination of the Nephilim, where Strife continued to question why the Charred Council would make such a decision, War would state it was for the sake of the balance, causing Strife great frustration over War's lack of remorse. It was only when War was also shown to harbor feelings of remorse for the extinction of the Nephilim, that the two would become more open with each other. While Strife initially preferred to keep his past private, his brotherly bond with War helped him to open up about his past as someone who enjoyed killing and was ashamed of his past actions. Although Strife didn't explain to War exactly what he did, he promised his younger brother that one day he will tell him everything. Among the positive aspects of their relationship, Strife would be shown heeding War's wisdom about the Horsemen's purpose and the balance while War would sometimes make jokes, though both would deny it had anything to do with them getting along with each other, albeit unconvincingly. Abilities As one of the last remaining four Nephilim, Strife is a very powerful warrior. He is an excellent marksman, his primary weapons being two pistols. Strife has shown to be able to kill various demons in close quarters even with his firearms. He can also jump and fire several rounds simultaneously. Weapons *'Mercy' - A black four barreled pistol. At some point after the Battle of the Maker's Forge, Strife lost Mercy and it eventually came into the hands of Ulthane. *'Redemption' - A white revolver style pistol. At some point after the prior mentioned battle, Strife lost Redemption and it somehow ended up in the Maker's homeland, the Forge Lands. *'Dual Sabers' - When Strife's enemies breakthrough his range attacks, he switches to the curvy sabers to kill his foes or beat them back to a range he feels comfortable with. *'Caltrops' - When Strife wants to do crowd control, he chucks out these little explosive spikes onto the battlefield to harass any incoming demon that means to engage in close-quarters combat. *'Shadow Clone' - An ability that allows Strife to leave a shadowy image of himself when he jumps forward and fires at his enemies at a rapid rate for a short period. *'World Ender '- An ability where Strife put his pistols together to fires a large blast that causes a massive amount of damage towards his enemies. Anarchy Form Like his siblings, Strife gathers energy by attacking his enemies with his main weapons, and once a critical mass has been achieved unleashes a form resembling a black huge horned goblin with a scorpion tail for a ponytail and a mini-gun for a hand. Trivia *He is the only horseman whose primary weapon is not some form of melee weapon. *Strife's revolvers in Darksiders: The Graphic Adventure can be seen as both being quadruple barreled while in the games, only one of his revolvers is a quadruple barrel and the other revolver is a single barrel. *When he appears in Lust's delusion, Strife's voice sounds identical to Jones's, hinting at his true identity early on. Notes The first horseman and rider of the white horse is normally known as Conquest.Apocalipsis - The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse However, whenever the Four Horsemen concept appears in popular culture, the first horseman is most often identified as Pestilence instead. This identification with disease is due to the horseman carrying a bow, whose arrows were identified with Apollo and Artemis. In Greek mythology, illnesses were believed to be caused by their arrows. Darksiders deviates from both names, opting instead to call him Strife. Instead of a bow, the horseman's version in Darksiders appears to have had his weaponry updated, though he still fires projectiles. For more information see the corresponding article on Wikipedia. Theological: "Then I watched while the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures cry out in a voice like thunder, "Come forward." I looked, and there was a White Horse, and the rider had a bow. He was given a crown, and rode forth victorious to further victories." - Rev 6:6:1 Gallery 1000px-Darksiders020.jpg Rs strife ava.jpg Strife.jpg|Concept art. Ds horsemen1.jpg|Concept art for Strife and his siblings. Ds horsemen2.jpg|Concept art for Strife and his siblings. Strife by pogzki.jpg Strife Darksiders by cheeseboy18193.jpg darksiders_strife___joe_mad_by_zeag.jpeg Darksiders010.jpg|The page showing the error on Strife's guns. Screen Shot 2015-06-28 at 3.44.21 am.png|This early artwork shows Strife and Fury on opposite color horses most likely due to the characters being in a concept stage of design. 46524006_573080273153551_3588241237875884032_n.jpg|Strife seen during the ending of Darksiders 3 Primera Persona.png|Mirage of Strife, first person Strife con Redencion - Misericordia.png|Mirage of Strife, with redemption and mercy Strife Cuerpo Completo.png|Mirage of Strife, with full body Darksiders_Genesis_Strife.png Darksiders_Genesis_Key_Art_Strife_&_War.jpg Darksiders_Genesis_Art_Strife_&_War.png Darksiders_Genesis_Art_Cover_(1).jpg Darksiders_Genesis_Art_Cover_(2).jpg DSG_SS_4.jpg Darksiders_Genesis_Art_Strife.png Strife Abyssal Armor.jpg|Abyssal Armor in Darksiders Genesis Reference de:Hader Category:Darksiders Characters Category:The Four Horsemen Category:Abomination Vault Characters Category:Comic Book Characters Category:Darksiders 2 Characters Category:Nephilim Category:Darksiders 3 Characters Category:Darksiders Genesis Characters